Separation
by that-avatarded-kataanger
Summary: Katara and Aang break up, angst ensues. I wrote this because I was craving angst. A bit ooc considering what's happening, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. :P
1. Chapter 1

**Alright. My first time using and I don't exactly know what I'm doing yet so give me some leeway... Let's hope for the best.**

"Aang I can't do this anymore!" Katara jerked her hands in the air.

"Katara, please-"

"No, Aang! I don't even know why you try and keep me around! All you seem to care about is your 'Avatar duties' and whatnot!" She paced back and forth angrily. "But when it comes to me, you don't give a-"

"Katara." Aang interrupted firmly, "I'm sorry. I'm trying to put as much of my time into being with you as possible. But the world is a very messed up place right now…"

"Don't act like I don't know what's going on in the world! I know exactly what's going on! But, both you and me know that you could easily take a day, even a few hours, off of work! But you don't!" Katara's arms collapsed and hung limply at her sides. Her face was now wet and sticky from tears that had escaped. She trembled with anger and hurt, her breaths hitching at little sobs.

"Do you even love me anymore, Aang?"

The question was so vulnerable, so sincere, it nearly knocked Aang off his feet. His world came screeching to a halt at those quiet, hopeless words. His face dropped into a horrified gape and he couldn't make a sound. His mind suddenly exploded into a series of apologies he could spout out in an instant, but he didn't. All he could do was uselessly open and close his mouth in an attempt to say something, anything.

"Katara…" he whispered, "How could you say something like that?"

She was having trouble keeping her tears down. Katara could clearly tell she'd hurt him and wanted to take it back but there was no way she could without giving him a loophole to slip through. So she straightened up and fixed him with a stern glare, "I just wish you'd take some time off your Avatar jobs to spend time with me."

But Aang wasn't anywhere near healed from what she'd said and knew, at that moment.

He was not good enough for her.

He stood stiffly from the chair he had collapsed into, "Katara." he began softly.

She gave him a confused frown, "What."

"I'm sorry. I'm not good enough for you. You deserve someone better than me." His voice was small and weak, but sure.

Now Katara was getting worried, "What? What are you talking about, Aang?" she demanded.

He lowered his head and his shoulders slumped, "We need time to think. Time to ourselves."

Her eyes widened, "Aang what are you saying?!" Her voice cracked in panic.

Aang lifted his head again and looked her in the eye, "I'm leaving."

Katara's heart stopped. A gasp was the only sound that was made in the room. She had never imagined Aang would ever say that to her. He seemed he would've stayed with her forever, no matter what. As if nothing could convince him to leave her. That's what Katara had always thought, and now that thought had been shattered.

Nothing more was said until Aang had packed his things and he was heading for Appa; Katara knew he was serious.

"Aang!" she cried, "Please don't leave!" She pulled on his robes as though it would bring him back. "Please, Aang!"

He turned his head only enough to look at her through the corner of his eye. She saw nothing there. Katara was always able to read his eyes so easily. She knew when he was sad, or angry, or happy, or tired. She could tell what he was thinking at some times or what he wanted to do. His eyes were always the soft, kind gray that had attracted her to him in the first place.

But now she saw nothing. Aang's eyes were cold and empty. The light gray hardened into a metallic, almost black. Like all the past joy and life had dissipated. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Aang…I love you." Katara pleaded, still clutching his robes desperately.

He didn't say anything. He only gently removed her hand from his clothes and turned back towards Appa.

Katara didn't know how to feel. Angry because he was leaving. Terrified because he hadn't said 'I love you' back. Or incredibly guilty because he was still gentle with her, even after she had practically ripped his heart in two. Then again, he was almost returning the favor.

She watched helplessly as he lifted onto Appa and packed away his things. He stole one last glance at her before whipping the reigns and disappearing into the sky and leaving Katara by herself.

It took a few moments for it to sink in. Katara just stood there, rigid, still looking where Appa had vanished off in the distance. She didn't move, she didn't blink, she didn't breath.

Then it hit her. And it hit her like a herd of sky bison.

Aang had left her. He'd _left her_. He'd picked up and just…left. All he said was 'I'm leaving'. He didn't tell her he loved her. He didn't give any warning. He just left.

Katara's knees suddenly went weak before faltering and she collapsed onto the ground. Her head hung between her shoulders and she braced her hands on the ground. Sobs wracked her body, tears flowing down her face and dripping off her nose, creating a small patch of mud in the dirt. Her choked sobs echoed throughout the clearing, silencing all living things within earshot. This only made her feel even more alone.

Katara sat crouched there for hours until she finally worked up the willpower to stand up. She felt sick. Her head was throbbing with an awful headache and she couldn't stop shaking. Chills radiated through her body, causing her to clutch her arms in an attempt to keep warm somehow.

She slowly turned around and wobbled back to the house. As she made her way to the front of the house, all the scenes of what had just happened started to replay through her mind. How could she have said that? 'Do you still love me?' Her question repeated itself in her mind in the most sarcastic and bitterest of tones. Katara's face wrinkled in disgust just thinking of it. How stupid was she?

The door creaked slightly as she pushed it open. It shut, echoing through the entire house and once again reminding Katara of how lonely she was now. She plopped into the nearest chair and began to cry again.

She cried, and cried, and cried until she passed out from exhaustion.

**So this was my first story on here and I do have a tumblr too. My URL is older-aang if you want to go check it out...**

**I'll try and upload my other fics I've written and posted there but this is all I have for now.**

**I still don't know what I'm doing so...I hope this was at least somewhat right...**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is Aang's point of view. The next will be Katara's. Then Aang's. And so on...**

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_"I have to stay calm. I have. To stay. Calm."_

Aang pounded the words through his mind. He gathered all his things silently and walked out of the house as quickly as possible. Katara's pleading was heart-wrenching and he didn't know if he could do it without changing his mind.

But the hardest part was when she told him she loved him.

It had always been second nature to say it back to her; now it was different. Aang did love her. He loved Katara so much. More than anyone he'd ever met. But Aang had realized he wasn't enough for her. He couldn't ever be the ideal boyfriend, let alone husband, that she'd always dreamed of. He obviously wasn't able to be with her as often as she wanted.

Aang decided, if he couldn't always be with her, better to not be with her at all. It was better for her if she didn't have to deal with him not being there. Katara would find someone else. Someone better than him. A man who _could_ treat her the way she deserved to be treated. Who _could_ always be right there at her side. Who was stronger, more handsome, definitely taller, than Aang.

Katara would be happy with him. Love him. Even more than she did Aang, if it came to it. As much as he wanted her, Aang was clearly not the right man for her.

He fought to hold back his tears as Katara took hold of his robes and begged for him to stay. He turned his head to look at her, his mouth clamped shut. If he spoke, the dam holding back his tears would instantly break. So he just took her hand and removed it as tenderly as possible, as if to say, 'I'm sorry.'

Aang didn't hear her footsteps behind him anymore once he had done so. He finally reached Appa and tossed his things onto the saddle before following with himself. After stealing one last glance at Katara, the girl he had always thought would be his forever, Aang whipped the reigns without even having to say anything and lifted into the sky.

He didn't cry. He didn't break down. He regretted, sure, but he still knew it was best for her. Maybe she would go back and find Haru. He was certainly taller and stronger and more handsome than Aang. He was very respectful, and after all, she had helped him and his father and all their friends escape that Fire Nation prison. Katara had always liked him and was fast friends with him.

Or, perhaps she would even find Jet again. Whether or not he was still alive had never been cleared up. Who knows, maybe he was still going. Aang had known Katara liked Jet a great deal. She was practically attached to him the entire time they were with him. Even after he had betrayed them all, Jet cleared all that up and ended up helping them find Appa, which Aang was very thankful for. Jet was a great man for Katara and Aang was sure he could make her happy.

Another possibility was Katara finding some total stranger that happened to catch her eye. The man she had always dreamed of who would sweep her off her feet and they would fall in love and be with each other forever…Katara completely forgetting about Aang and all the pain he'd caused her.

He sighed, his shoulders drooping. As much as he hated the thought of Katara with someone else, what was really important, was that she was happy.

Aang needed to somehow move on. To stop thinking about her, because that would only result in him going back to her. Spirits know how angry she would be if she ever saw his face again.

He'd become a nomad again. Never permanently settling in a specific place but always keeping up with what was going on and still attending to his Avatar duties. It would be just like old times; finding a spot to camp out for a while, then picking up and moving on.

Aang set his mind on that. He scanned along the horizon, squinting his eyes against the harsh glare of the setting sun, searching for any place that seemed livable. A small clearing in the middle of a forest caught his eye and he tugged on the reigns to guide Appa down.

The bison landed with a grunt and flopped down onto his stomach.

"You must be tired, buddy." Aang was startled at the sound of his own voice. He hadn't spoken in hours and all the emotional stress had evidently effected his vocal cords. Unlike the normal, lighthearted and cheery tone his voice normally contained, it was now dull, monotone, empty…almost wooden. Aang quickly accepted this and figured it would go away in time.

He patted a giant, furry leg and gave a weak smile, "Don't worry, you can sleep now." Aang lifted his head to look at the western sky to see dark thunderheads rolling towards them. "We'll be here a while." he finished with a sigh before raising the earth up to form a large canopy for Appa to sleep under when the storm arrived.

Aang turned around and shifted to his horse stance. With a few swift movements, he created an earthtent, then sighed sadly and shook his head when he realized it was much too big.

Aang was so used to making earthtents for Katara and him and he'd forgotten he was by himself now. He ducked under the tent and lay down as comfortably as he could get.

It was like sleeping on ice.

Dozens of images flashed through Aang's mind, all containing Katara lying next to him as they either fell asleep, or awakened together. Her body pressed to his, giving him warmth and comfort, and the sound of her steady breathing lulling him to sleep. Occasionally she would turn over and kiss him, the most wonderful feeling in the world, Aang decided.

The daydreams suddenly vanished, leaving Aang trembling, cold, and alone in the dark in the middle of nowhere. He pulled his knees up to his chest in an attempt to get warm and slowly, very slowly, drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

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**Sorry it was rather short. Getting ready for school to start again, ugh.**


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